Off-campus education will save Ugandans
THE world is changing fast but universities in Uganda have stuck to the old way of doing things. hereas it is easy to download application forms from many university websites such as Ndejje, Uganda Martyrs and Makerere, one has to travel to the universiti
THE world is changing fast but universities in Uganda have stuck to the old way of doing things. hereas it is easy to download application forms from many university websites such as Ndejje, Uganda Martyrs and Makerere, one has to travel to the universities to complete the application process.
In comparison, it takes a few hours or days to register with a foreign university without spending much.
Many universities in South Africa, the UK and USA have reaped billions of dollars through online or distance education. In online education, a student accesses online instructional materials while in distance learning, there is often physical delivery of study materials to the student’s address.
Both systems do not require face-to-face contact with university professors since the student independently reads and writes course works or exams in designated centres. Audio-visual materials are developed to supplement study modules, photocopied text books and the library. Surprisingly, this is not the case in Uganda.
True, the internet is not easily accessible in many parts of Uganda, but many Ugandans fill up internet cafes or use their office computers to meet online friends. Therefore, the problem is not internet inaccessibility but the inability of the universities to seize the opportunity.
There are many people working up-country that would like to study but fail to because of the distance and risks involved. Higher institutions of learning must reverse this trend and save millions of dollars.
Dennis Obel
University of Queensland
In comparison, it takes a few hours or days to register with a foreign university without spending much.
Many universities in South Africa, the UK and USA have reaped billions of dollars through online or distance education. In online education, a student accesses online instructional materials while in distance learning, there is often physical delivery of study materials to the student’s address.
Both systems do not require face-to-face contact with university professors since the student independently reads and writes course works or exams in designated centres. Audio-visual materials are developed to supplement study modules, photocopied text books and the library. Surprisingly, this is not the case in Uganda.
True, the internet is not easily accessible in many parts of Uganda, but many Ugandans fill up internet cafes or use their office computers to meet online friends. Therefore, the problem is not internet inaccessibility but the inability of the universities to seize the opportunity.
There are many people working up-country that would like to study but fail to because of the distance and risks involved. Higher institutions of learning must reverse this trend and save millions of dollars.
Dennis Obel
University of Queensland